The Queen and her court
County okays $2.8 million budget for FY ’19
Donley County Commissioners approved a $2.846 million budget for fiscal year 2019 when they met in regular session Monday.
County Judge John Howard said the new budget will address improving county salaries and also continue to build reserves for the county.
County employees will receive an across the board $900 per year raise with the exception of road hands and jail dispatchers, who are receiving higher targeted raises.
“We have difficulty training and keeping dispatchers at our current salaries,” Howard said.
Health insurance prices continue to be an escalating expense for the county. Premiums have doubled in the last ten years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. This year, for the first time, county employees will be contributing $40 per paycheck to their own health insurance.
The new budget includes money for building an addition to the county barn to protect equipment. Commissioners also on Monday accepted a bid of $57,300 for construction on that project. Materials for that work costing about $27,000 were purchase in the current budget.
The 2019 budget will be the first to include revenue from the wind energy facility in the northern part of the county. Howard said the $200,000 revenue line item is the first of ten the county will have before that facility’s tax abatement expires and the equipment goes on the tax rolls.
“We’re taking an approach of spending half and saving half of those funds,” Howard said. “If we can do that for ten years, we’ll have saved $1 million.”
The new budget is supported by a total tax rate of $0.69984 per $100 valuation, which is not far off from the current rate of $0.69941. Due to higher property evaluations, the new rate will bring in an extra $103,446.14, which is an increase of about 7.75 percent.
County officials continue to worry about the state government shifting cost burdens to local government without providing funding for those responsibilities, and Howard also said there is still talk in Austin about limiting the ability of counties to raise taxes. But he is optimistic the county can live within its means at the current tax rate.
“I think we can function well at this tax rate even though everything continues to go up,” Howard said. “Our expenses are up 20 percent in five years, but our tax rate has only gone up about 10 percent.”
In other county business Monday, commissioners approved a resolution declaring September as National Preparedness Month, approved an election services agreement with the clerk’s office and Memphis ISD for a tax ratification election on November 6, approved the holiday schedule for 2018-2019, and voted to move the regular October meeting to October 10 to avoid meeting on Columbus Day.
Motions were also approved to purchase a computer for the clerk’s office, participate in the Panhandle Ground Water Planning Group, and to approve the county attorney’s attendance at a Galveston meeting.
Antro demoltion to start this week
Demolition of the Antro Hotel building could begin as early as Thursday, September 13, according to the contractor in charge of the job.
Matthew Tamplen of TNT Construction met Tuesday afternoon with city and economic development officials as well as the neighboring property owners and representatives of Southwestern Electric Power Co. Discussions centered on the order of work, proper insurance for all concerned parties, and how the removal of material would be handled.
Portions of First and Kearney streets are expected to be closed off during the work, which will begin with the upper portions of the south wall adjacent to the former Clarendon Office Supply building.
The historic hotel sign and other architecturally significant elements of the building, including the facing brick, will be salvaged for future use by the economic development board. The rest of the building and related salvage will become the property of the contractor.
Demolition is expected to take about two weeks.
The three-story brick building was already severely deteriorated when a July 29 windstorm pushed most of the north wall into the structure.
The Antro Hotel was built in 1926 and opened in 1927 by G.W. Antrobus. The property has been shuttered for about 40 years.
Broncos push by Hornets
Chicken servin’
Bronco royalty
End of an era
Calvin Ky Sherrod
Calvin Ky Sherrod, 89, of Amarillo, went to be with his Lord and Savior September 6, 2018.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 15, 2018, at Region 16 Education Service Center, 5800 Bell Street. Burial will be at Llano Cemetery East. Visitation will be Thursday, September 13, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at LaGrone Blackburn Shaw, 8310 S. Coulter St.
Ky was born in Aspermont, Texas on September 3, 1929, to Lester A. and Claudie Bell Sherrod. He graduated from Aspermont High School and West Texas State College where he was a kicker on the football team. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Education. Ky married the love of his life, Frances Florene Bussard in Raton, NM on August 23, 1952. They moved to Channing, Texas where Ky was employed by the Channing ISD. He coached for one year before he was promoted to Principal. He held that position for one year and was promoted to Superintendent. He proudly served as Superintendent of Channing Schools for 36 years. Frances and Ky were blessed with three athletic sons, Randy, Brent and Mark. Family time was spent honing basketball skills, disciplining school kids, and contributing to the Channing community. He believed the “Spare the rod, spoil the child” theory as taught in the Bible. He disciplined with love and was respected by both school children and their parents.
The Channing School System was fortunate to have excellent teachers who gave each student a solid base for furthering their careers at the University level if they so choose. Many lifelong friendships were begun in Channing and students still came by to visit Ky through the years. What an educator Ky Sherrod was in all aspects of his life! He never met a stranger. Ky loved his family, friends and especially “those” grandchildren. He was always ready to do anything his grandkids wanted to do and take them anywhere they wanted to go. It did not matter what day it was or what time, Ky would not disappoint!
Ky served on the Education Service Center Board of Directors from 1995 to 2016. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, a Lifetime member of the Texas State Teachers Association and a Lifetime member of the Texas Association of School Administrators. Ky was a member of Crossroads Country Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife Frances, his son Mark, his brother ML, and his parents.
He is survived by his brother, Wham Sherrod and wife Barbara; son, Randy Sherrod and wife Carolyn; granddaughter, Tara Dunn and great granddaughter, Hadley Dunn; son, Brent Sherrod and wife Joy, granddaughter, Tiffini Arrington and husband Shawn, great grandkids, Noah, Cross and Alexandria; grandson, Brett Britton and wife Sonya, great granddaughter, Bentley; grandson, Trey Britton, great granddaughters, Kristen and Linzy; granddaughter, Darcee Maddy and husband Tim, great grandsons, Eli and Ethan; granddaughter, Keelie McDonald and husband Eric; grandson, Caeleb Ky Sherrod and wife Michelle, grandkids, Collin Ky, Blake and Kate.
Beverly Yvonne Whitley
Beverly Yvonne Whitley, 92, of Clarendon, died on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, in Clarendon.
Services were held on September 8, 2018, in Robertson Funeral Directors Saints’ Roost Chapel in Clarendon with Dr. Todd Dick, officiating. Burial followed in Memorial Park Cemetery in Amarillo.
Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Yvonne was born June 16, 1926, in Clarendon to Philip L. and Faye Dunlap Board. She graduated from Amarillo High School in 1943. She married her childhood sweetheart, William Thomas Whitley on December 6, 1945 in Amarillo. She had been a resident of Amarillo most of her life and moved to Clarendon in 2012. She worked for 22 years for the City of Amarillo as a buyer prior to her retirement. The two most important things in her life were God and Family. Yvonne and her husband enjoyed traveling in their 5th wheel. She was a member of the Family Worship Center in Amarillo. The family would like to say a special thank you to Saints’ Roost Assisted Living for the love and care of our Mother.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 57 years; her son, Kerry Trent Whitley; a sister, Phyllis Dick; and a son in law, Jerry May.
Survivors include her daughter, Kathy Michael and husband Monty of Clarendon; her son, Phil Whitley and wife Nona of Amarillo; 9 grandchildren, Dawn Strafuss and Rodney of Hereford, Kami Satterwhite and husband Brent of Panhandle, Jason May and wife Jill of Idalou, Philip Whitley of Amarillo, Tessa Whitley Jobe of Amarillo, Andrea Serna and husband Ed of Austin, Lisa Gregg of Washington, Brandi Wyatt and husband Kelly of Van Vleck, Texas, Chad Michael and wife Sara of Fort Worth; 19 great grandchildren; 9 great great grandchildren; and a host of extended family and friends.
The family request that memorials be made to the GMI / 13248 Roscoe Blvd. / Sun Valley, CA 91352 c/o Todd Dick – Croatia.
Wreck claims one life Monday
A Carrollton woman died Monday, September 3, following a single-vehicle accident east of Hedley.
DPS Trooper Lynn Mays said a family of five were westbound on US 287 when the left rear tire on their Dodge Aspen blew out, causing the vehicle to go off the road and roll multiple times.
Among those in the car was 25-year-old Jasmin Pena, who was riding in the front passenger seat without a seat belt. She was ejected from the vehicle and later died from her injuries at North West Texas Hospital in Amarillo.
A three-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, neither of whom were properly restrained, were both ejected from the back seat of the vehicle. Thirty-two-year-old Jaime Meneses was also in the back seat but was wearing a seat belt, according to DPS Sgt. Cindy Barkley.
The driver of the vehicle, 52-year-old Maria Pena of Dallas, was also not wearing a seat belt but was not ejected. She was transported by ambulance and the boy was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital. DPS reported they both sustained serious/incapacitating injuries.
The accident remains under investigation.
Responding to the accident in addition to the DPS were the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, Clarendon and Hedley fire departments, Associated Ambulance Authority, and a Hall County deputy.
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